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UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. 






A SERMON 



Preached on Sal)batli, September 25, 1881, 



ON THE 



LESSONS OF THE LIFE AND DEATH 



— OF — 



JAMES ABRAM GARFIELD, 

Ijate ProHidcMit of* 1 lie Xlnitetl States, 



IX THE 



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liV TJIK PaST()]{, 



Kov. JOHN CHKSTEll, V>. O. 



A SERMON 

Preached on Sabbatli, September 25, 1881, 



ON THE 



LESSONS OF THE LIFE AND DEATH 



OF — 



JAMES ABRAM GARFIELD, 

Late PresideiTLt of tlie United States, 



IN THE 



r 



By the Pastor, 
Rev. JOHN CHESTER, E>. D. 

a 




JUDD .V- DETWEILER, PRINTERS AND PUBLISHERS. 

1881. 






&; 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



Washington, D. C, September 26, 1881. 
Rev. John Chester, D. D. 

Dear Sir : We, the undersigned members of the Metropolitan Presbyterian 
Church, l)eing impressed with the power and importance of the great truths 
delivered to your congregation, in the eloquent and appropriate sermon of last 
Sabbath morning, on the noble life of the late President of the United States, 
James A. Garfield, and his tragic death at the hands of an assassin, and believing 
that the thoughts therein conveyed to your people are worthy of careful perusal 
and consideration l)y a wider circle, respectfully request a copy for publication. 

Robert Leitch. 

George A. Bohrer. 

Thomas G. Jones. 

John R. Zimmerman. 

William H. Barstow. 

Georije W. N. Custis. 

James T. Birchard. 

t 
JoHxN Eaton. 



Messrs. Robert Leitch, Geor(;e A. Bohrer, Thomas G. Jones, and others. 

Gentlemen: It is always a source of gratitude to a pastor when the truths 
uttered from the pulpit awaken interest in Jiis people, and as you kindly express 
the opinion that the lessons I endeavored to glean from the life of our lamented 
President should have a wider hearing, they are at y6ur service for publication. 

Very truly yours, 

John Chester. 



SERMON. 



" By it he l)ein<^ dead yet speaketh." — Hebreios xi : 14. 



( iod luis seen tit to visit this land with a universal sorrow. 
']^)-day a great nation weeps around the bier of its murdered 
President. ()tliei» nations look on from aftir witli a sympa- 
thy unsur})asse(l, i)erliaps uniMjuaHed in the annals of 
history. To attempt to divert your thoughts from this one 
great sul)icci \v(tuM ht' simply impossible, nor is it neces- 
sary, t'oi- the ('hristian Sabbath is the very time to consider 
an event through wliieh (Jod -<» manifestly speaks to the 
whole nation. 

The hie nf rie-ideiit ( Jartield is so suggestive of lessons 
toi- the nation, that to him may imleed be applied the 
words s|M)ken of Abel " \\\ it lie being dead yet speaketh." 
These words are eonneeted with the first death on record at 
the hand of an assassin. AluT while engaged in the con- 
seientious discharge of his duties, was stricken down by a 
a man wlio-e heart was full of devilish malignity. 80 fell 
oui- late President. AbiTs name heneeforth passed into 
history as one to be cherished to the latest generation, so 
will be cherished the name of Tv.mks A. Garfield. Abel's 
life contimies to sj)eak instructive lessons to posterit}^ — so 
will the life of our Pi-esident. 

That lift' was so beautiful, so outreaching to all the needs 



6 

of humanity, so connected with Rehgion, Statesmanship, 
and Education that my only difficulty is to know which of 
its many virtues to select. I will, however, confine myself 
to three salient i3oints in liis character. 

" Though dead he yet speak eth " to us of the possi- 
bilities WITHIN THE KEACH OF AMERICAN YOUTH 
THROUGH PIETY, INTEGRITY, AND INDUSTRY. 

He started in life witli no advantages of birth, wealth, 
or influence. The only education which he received was 
paid for by his own hard-earned wages. ^The influence he 
gained was the outcome of personal ability. Yet he rose 
step by step until the highest place in the government of 
the nation was reached, and our peoi)le recognized in him 
a man both of great force of character and large intel- 
lectual acquirements. 

One advantage he did possess in youth immeasurable in 
its power, namely, the influence and example of pious 
parents, we may mor^^ i)roperly say, of a jnous mother, for 
his father died while his son was but a babe. Any one, who 
will carefully analyze the life of President Garfield, will find 
the incipiency of its greatness in the religious discipline 
received from his mother. She taught her children " to ' 
fear (lod and keep his commandments." Every day she 
instructed them out of (lod's word. In the language of 
one of his biographers " young Garfield lived in an atmos- 
phere of religious thought." But his parents did more than 
this. Their example was an inspiration. The father 
hewed his home out of the forest with his own axe. The 
mother spun the yarn, wove the cloth, cooked the simple 



meals, and sometimes even labored with her sons in the 
fields. Both seemed to say to their boy, " James, if you 
wish to be a good and great man, you must live aright and 
work hard." I believe what this country owes to James A. 
Garfield, it owes first to this parental training, based on 
these two ideas — religion and work ; and you saw the result 
in that fine character, that massive brow, that healthy 
frame. 

It seems, then, as if he, though dead, speaks to-day to 
every parent and child in this land, and says, "Implant 
early the seeds of religious truth in your children's hearts ; 
train them up to regard Av^ork as a necessity; make them 
self-dependent, and they will prove good and great men." 

May not one of the special providences of this death be 
tlie necessity of emphasizing this truth at the present time. 
We are fast becoming a rich nation. The tendency of our 
modern inventions is to ease our labors. Public sentiment 
tends rather in the direction of brain work than hand work. 
Wealtli is regarded too much as an honor; poverty as a 
disgrace. Now, in tlie i)rovidence of God, the attention and 
homage of the world is centered around a man who, in one 
sense of the term, made himself; who rose from a canal 
l)oatman to the Presidency of the United States. 

lie thus speaks to our young men, bidding them trust in 
( lod and themselves, if they desire to achieve a noble man- 
hood. Yea, he speaks, not only through the memory of his 
life, but by his ver}^ words, for among his recorded sayings 
is the following: " From the genius of our Government the 
pathway to honorable distinction lies open to all. No post 
of honor so high, but the poorest boy may reach it. It is 
th(^ ]iride of every American that many cherished names, at 



8 

whose mention our hearts beat with a quicker hound, were 
Avorn by the sons of poverty, wlio conquered ol)scurity, and 
became fixed stars in our firmament." 

As we recall his memory to-day let us refresh our minds 
with the truth that the virtue of our citizenship, the stability 
of our institutions depend on that education which com- 
bines the moral, mental, and physical training of the young. 
Piety, integrity, and industry are the foundation stones on 
which rests the grand superstructures of American man- 
hood. And I would, to-day, that every boy and girl would 
reflect on this great lesson which the life of our President 
teaches them, and resolve that they will attempt to mount 
the ladder of promotion by only such steps as these — 
Christian integrity and hard work. 

Again, he being dead speaks to us of the duty of 

patriotism. 

Mr. Garfield was always a patriot, never, in the strict 
sense of the term, a partisan. It is partly owing to this that 
men of all political creeds mingle their tears over his 
memory. In Congress, some of his warmest personal friends 
were among his political opponents. His patriotism was 
conscientious. His })olitical preferences were not dictated 
by personal ambition, but by a sincere belief that they re- 
flected principles of wisdom and justice. Hence, from his 
first to his last vote, he espoused tlie side of Loyalty against 
Rebellion, of Freedom against Slavery. When the Union 
was threatened he enlisted for its defence, and his "war 
record" is one of the brightest pages of his history. His 
desire to sink personal ambition in the good of the country 



had a beautiful illustratiou in his remaining in tlic House 
when he could have been elected to the Senate. This he 
did, at the personal solicitation of President Hayes, who 
thought that there Mr. Garfield could be of more use to the 
country. Even when nominated for the Presidency he pro- 
tested against the use of his name, thinking that others 
were more deserving of the position. It was not for James 
A. Garfield, but for his country, that he lived and died. 

Surely if there is any time when we need a voice to speak 
to us on this point, it is now. For many years the fires of 
])olitical ambition have threatened to consume the relics of 
our patriotism. The rush for office has swept the patriot 
into the ranks of the office seeker. Political strife has 
threatened to undermine our institutions. Partisan rancor 
has descended to the meanest weapons in efforts to destroy 
its opponents. Men's characters have been vilified ; even 
forgeries have been employed to tarnish reputations, and 
slanders invented to blast characters. Our late President 
did not escape these attacks, l)ut his character stood proof 
against them, nnd the contempt of a nation follows those 
who invented and aided in their circulation. Thank God, 
to-day this strife for office, this partisan rancor stands abashed 
in the presence of a great national sorrow, yet it is to be feared 
that after the scenes connected with his death and burial are 
over, it may again attempt to raise its serpentine head, and 
hiss and sting. God forbid that it should be so ! Surely 
if there is any time when our political leaders should sink 
all partisanship and ])ecome patriots, this is the time. Not 
only the interests of the government, but the wishes of the 
people demand it; they are heartily sick of mere party 
scramblings for })ower and office, what they want are the 



10 

o'rcat interests of the whole couiitrv preserved and con- 
served. One of the grandest events connected with onr 
President was that over his sick bed and over his coffln, 
tlie nation North and Sontli, East and West, have joined 
Ijands and linked hearts. Yea, that noblest of Queens, the 
(^ueen of England, lias, as it were, stretched her hand over 
the ocean and laid on tluit coffin a tribute of esteem for the 
dead, and sympathy with the American nation. If England, 
(our victory over wliicli we are about to celebrate at York- 
town,) if P]ngland, our former foe, can clasp our hand over 
Garfield's coffin, surely North and South, East and West can 
clasp theirs, saying, "Let us, wliile true to our personal con- 
victions, while earnest in the support of our own ideas, wliile 
working for tlie interests of oui' own ])arty, let us harmonize 
in one connnon love, one common ehbrt for tlie good of the 
whole nation; let us bury in tlie grave of our President, all 
sectional division, all partisan bitterness." For he still 
seems to si)eak to us again in these words, so eloquently 
uttered in Congress: "I look forward with joy and hope to 
the day when our brave people, one in heart, one in their as- 
pirations, freedom, and peace, shall see that the darkness 
through which we have traveled was but a [)art of that 
stern but beneficent discipline, by which the great disposer of 
events has been leading us to a. higher and nol)ler national 
life." 



11 



But we seem to hear his voice, once more, si'eakix(; 

TO us IX A XOBLE TESTT^roXV TO THE TltCTHS OF THE 

Cheistiax RELIOIOX. 

Mr. Garfield seems to have been a Christian from liis 
youth. At the age of eighteen he united with the church, 
and from that time until his death was an esteemed member 
of the " Church of tlie Disciples." He was never, strictly 
speaking, an ordained minister of that church, though he 
often, in accordance with its discipline, addressed his fellow 
(^liristians in their religious meetings. He was not what is 
known as a demonstrative Christian — preferring to express 
his religion more l)y acts than words. 

His pastor. Rev. ^Ir. Power, in an address at the funeral 
of President Garfield, gave a full unequivocal testimony to 
liis consistency, devotion, and usefulness as a member of 
the Christian Church. This address is so fresh in your 
minds that I need not quote from it, but there are incidents 
in his life which it may be well to recall, as showing a con- 
stant sense of depcndcnice on God. Just after the assassina- 
tion of President Lincoln, the public mind being wrought 
to a frenzy of feeling, a mob was rushing up the streets of 
New York, when Mr. Garfield ajipeared waving a paper in 
his hands. It was a telegram announcing the succession of 
President Johnson, an event which, like the succession of 
our present President, gave a general sense of relief. How 
magnificent was the burst of eloquence which came from 
Mr. Garfield's lips. How noble the idea of calming the 
mind of the infuriated populace by leading their thoughts 
u]) to God. " Fellow-C^itizens," he began, " Clouds and dark- 



12 

ness are round aljout Him. His pavilion is thick waters 
and thick clouds of the sky. Justice and judgment are the 
habitation of his throne. Mercy and truth shall go before 
his face. Fellow-Citizens, God reigns, and the Government 
at Washington still lives." 

Those of you who listened to his eloquent Inaugural 
Address will remember these closing words : " I shall greatly 
rely upon the wisdom and patriotism of Congress, and of 
those who may share with me the responsibilities and duties 
of administration, and above all to second my efforts to promote 
the welfare of this great people and this great Government, I 
earnestly invoke the support and blessings of Almighty God^ 
When the nation read this Inaugural there was a feeling of 
thankfulness that we had a man to rule over us in the fear 
of God. 

President Garfield showed in many ways his desire to 
"keep a conscience void of ofl'ence toward God and man." 
That remarkable saying of his, which should be embalmed 
in the memory of every legislator, well illustrates his con- 
scientiousness : " I have represented (he said) a district in 
Congress whose approbation I greatly desired, * * * 
but I yet desired still more the approbation of one person, 
and his name was Garfield. He is the only man I am com- 
pelled to sleep with, and eat with, and live and die with, 
and if I could not have his approbation I should have had 
bad company." What is this but the exact sentiment of 
the Bible, "our rejoicing is this, the testimony of a good 
conscience." 

It is also to be noted with gratitude that no stain rests 
upon the private character of our dead President. While 
in the White House it presented all the elements of a pure 



13 

Christian home. He was a model son in his affection for 
his mother ; a model husband in his tender solicitude for 
his wife ; a model father in bringing up his children in 
simple, honest, industrious habits. The American people 
felt proud that they had a ruler stainless in character. To- 
day, then, though dead he speaks to us of the importance 
of allying character with office ; of seeing that we have 
good men to rule over us, those who respect the laws of the 
home as well as of the State. 

It is a pleasant thought that the two greatest nations 
of the earth, the United States and Great Britain, were 
ruled over at the same time, one, by a man, the model of a 
husband and father ; the other, by a woman, the model of 
a wife and mother, And, thank God, we have reason to 
believe that he who is now our President possesses the same 
noble traits of private character, and that this nation will 
continue to present to the eyes of the world a ruler who can 
l)e honored both for his private character and official in- 
tegrity. 

The great ciuestion of the hour is this : Will the nation 
hear these voices speaking to us through the memory of our 
dead President? We seem, as a nation, to stand on an 
elevated point in our history. So far there has been a 
gradual ascent in power, influence, and prestige. Shall we 
now ascend further or turn and retrace our steps? Instead 
of progress, experience decadence. Instead of develop- 
ment, disintegration. Instead of union and peace, division 
and discord. Let us not overlook the fact that the decision 
of this question rests in some measure with every citizen. 
Being a representative Government, its rulers must always 
reflect the character and opinions of the ruled. It is, then, 



14 

not only a solemn juncture in our country's history but 
equally in that of every one of its citizens. One duty of 
this hour is to lay hold of God in prayer. We need prayer 
to-day as much for a living President as we have needed it 
lately for a dying one. Few rulers have ever been called to 
the helm of state at so solemn a period as has our present 
Chief Magistrate. Let, then, the prayers, sympathies, and' 
efforts of a nation centre around liim. IaH the members 
of both })arties be the Aarons and Hurs to hold uj) his 
hands, while he strives to direct the affairs of this great 
nation. Let us also strive to have the habits of our peo})le 
brought more into conformity to God's laws. Let us face 
the fact that righteousness is the only basis of true national 
exaltation; that righteousness which consists in ol)edience 
to God's laws ; that which not only antagonizes l)ut punishes 
crime, whether the criminal l)e an assassin of men's lives, 
through the use of deadly weapons, or an assassin of men's 
happiness In^ making them drunkards, or an assassin of our 
civil liberties by stirring up party strife. From the grave 
of our martyred President comes a call to this nation to 
to see that justice be administered to all evil-doers. Not 
the justice of mob-law, but of regularly administered legal 
process. And I believe that this land will have on it the 
stain of blood, crying like Abel's to God for vengeance, until 
it shall have, by regular process of law, convicted and 
executed the w^retch who caused our President's death. 

And now, in a few hours the body of our late President 
will be committed to the tomb, amid the silent, deep, rever- 
ential sorrow of the civilized world. Over that tomb may 
be finally erected a monument of marble, but over his 
memory has already been placed a monument wliicli will 



15 

staiKl when marble crumbles to dust. It is a monument 
composed of countless stones, each stone being the respect, 
love, and sympatliy of each upright heart in these fifty 
millions of people. AMiile the wreaths which encircle Gar- 
field's coffin must soon wither, the wreaths of affection 
which encircle his memory will, to use his own words (in 
reference to the memory of President Lincoln,) " endure till 
the last syllable of recorded time, Avhen the volume of 
lunnan history shall be sealed up and delivered to the 
Omnipotent Judge." 



IIV.MN srX(; AT THE CLOSE OF THE SERVICES. 

Go to the gra\e in all thy glorious prime ! 

In full activity of zeal and power; 
A Christian cannot die before his time; 

The Lord's appointment is the servant's hour. 

Co to the grave; at noon from labor cease; 

Rest on thy sheaves, thy har\ est-task is done ; 
Come from the heat of battle, and in peace, 

Soldier I go home ; with thee the fight is won. 

Cio to tlie grave, which, faithful to its trust. 

The germ of immortality sliall keep; 
While, safe as \\atched liy cherubim, thy dust 

Shall to the judgment day in Jesus sleep. 

Co to the grave, for there thy Saviour lay 
In death's embraces, ere He rose on high; 

And all the ransomed, by that narrow way, 
Pass to eternal life beyond the sky. 

Co to the grave ! No, take thy >eat above ! 

Be thy pure spirit present \\ ith the Lord, 
Where thou for faith and hope hast perfect love 

And open vision for the written Word. 



